FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski answered questions from reporters for the first time since his two field-goal misses (49 and 42 yards) in Sunday's win, and he compared his situation to surfing.
"It's a cycle and you go through ups and downs. You have to ride the wave," he said Thursday during the media's access period. "I've got knocked off the board a couple times this year, and I'm going to get right back up there.
"I'm going to go out there with confidence and self belief. I've made way more kicks than I've missed in this career. You see other guys that you respect, and think are really good, and the same thing happens to them at some point in their career. It's not the end of the world. It's four games into the year. You just look forward to the next game."
Gostkowski, who missed a 42-yard game-winning field goal Sept. 16 against the Cardinals, was asked if his confidence is in a good place.
"My confidence will always be good," he responded, later adding that he didn't target anything specific for the misses. "I've done this for so long, and I've had so many ups and downs. Things have a way of working themselves out, whether good or bad. I don't worry about things I can't control. I just control how hard I work and how hard I concentrate."
Gostkowski, now in his seventh NFL season, is 10 of 13 on field-goal attempts this year.
The breakdown:
20-29 yards: 2 of 2
30-39 yards: 4 of 4
40-49 yards: 2 of 5
50-plus yards: 2 of 2
"You just have to find ways to be as consistent as possible," Gostkowski said. "I think that's one of the things I've thrived on in the past. I just need to do a better job of executing."
Asked if one of the hardest parts of his job is having to wait for the next opportunity, Gostkowski said it's something he's used to doing.
"Yeah, it's the nature of the position. I go through it every week and it was the same thing when I pitched in college and have a loss or bad game, you'd have to wait a whole week to pitch again. Mentally, I've conditioned myself to be able to move on. If I keep working hard, and keep doing the same things, and keep my focus high and my concentration high, then things are going to work out."